Yangrima eNews > December 1998

Can Sermathang provide in alternative Tourism in Nepal?

Ole Hammer a Danish Friend recently said, " … as we left Melamchi and started climbing we began to see the beautiful Nepalese villages, the fantastic landscapes and the magnificent mountains. But in the evening when we were inside Gopal's (one roomed) family house and spending some time in Sermathang -we saw much more ... what impressed us really was chance to meet the people (of Sermathang) and to see their lives and not only the mountains." This is what the students and teachers of Wellington School also expressed when they spent a week in Sermathang this spring. Maybe this "possibility to meet with people" is what is so special about Sermathang that many ex-volunteers (and friends) come back to visit the village and the Yangrima School each year.

John Cameron from the University of East Anglia Norwich, shares similar views when he says that Nepal has a lot more (and need to) offer to tourism than just the mountains -for instance extending the possibility to experience the life of people living under those mountains …

We, the teachers of Yangrima and the villagers of Sermathang feel that people who just come to see the mountains (mainstream tourists/trekkers) learn their names and heights but tend to forget the people whom they come across. The impacts are on various levels, a growing animosity between the local people and the trekkers, inflation on the village level, cultural misunderstandings (growing stereotyping), introduction of Coca-Cola culture etc. at the cost of said income generation -which mainly benefits the Kathmandu-based tourism companies and the few trekker lodge-owners on the route relying on the seasonal trade. The need therefore is to make it more people-centred and an increased dissemination/decentralisation of the income opportunities at the local village level.

It takes an active initiation from the village level and a strong community spirit and this is what Sermathang probably has. Yangrima with a team of dedicated Nepalese people, who and living and working with the villagers are working to make their mountain villages a better place to live, work and visit. And a growing number of local young students who realises that mountain village life is not necessarily a curse -and that with some hard work it could be a much better place to live than in Kathmandu. In the last ten years we have learnt a lot and still are learning how to improve our and our children's lives in an ecologically & sustainable way.

With inspiration from several friends including Ole Hammer & John Cameron and with the success of Wellington Spring '98 visit, we are in the process of initiating visit program for School students from foreign countries which will aim to a) an increased awareness about each other b) cultural exchanges between the students and the villagers and c) an income for the school fund. The general idea would be to utilise the three week holidays by combining trekking, one week village stay with host students from Yangrima School and a short rafting and ending with sightseeing in & around Kathmandu. The educational and meeting of people will be an integral part together with interactive learnings.

Thanks to Anthony Lunch and Charles Dawes who created an internet site for Yangrima School. We will put up more information about this School visit project, but first we would like to hear your opinion about how to go ahead and would really appreciate any suggestions regarding the details of the program.

I want to thank all of you for been with us all the way. I want to end this message by saying once again that Sermathang and Yangrima are not only for the people who live physically close to it, but to all of you who have made it possible to bring it along. This half yearly newsletters is only a small attempt to let you know that we think about you and remember you not only as somebody who "passed by" but somebody whom we have "met".

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a very Happy and Healthy New Year 1999.

Namaste,

Gopal Lama